Passenger injured after window failure forces Ryanair flight back to Greece
A Malta Air-operated Ryanair flight returned to Thessaloniki after a window came loose in flight, injuring a 61-year-old passenger.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
A Ryanair flight operated by Malta Air returned to Thessaloniki on Friday after a passenger window came loose shortly after takeoff, the airline said. The incident matters because investigators are examining a cabin decompression aboard a Boeing 737-800 flying from Greece to Germany.
Ryanair said the flight had left the northern Greek city for Memmingen, near Munich, before turning back “shortly after takeoff” because of the window problem. The airline said the aircraft landed normally, passengers went back to the terminal and one passenger asked for and received medical help on the ground.
A Greek hospital official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, said the injured passenger was a 61-year-old man who sustained neck and shoulder injuries as well as friction burns. It was not clear later Friday whether he remained hospitalized.
Passengers described a sudden and frightening loss of cabin pressure to Greek media. Radio Thessaloniki identified one passenger only as Christina, who said passengers heard a sound like a very loud tire burst before oxygen masks dropped and the aircraft began descending.
Christina told Radio Thessaloniki that the 61-year-old passenger was partially pulled toward and out of the damaged window area, including his head, neck and shoulders. She said nearby passengers grabbed him and pulled him back inside as others screamed and shouted.
Short videos shared by Radio Thessaloniki showed passengers wearing oxygen masks after the cabin lost pressure. Another clip appeared to show the damaged window area with a man seated nearby wearing an oxygen mask, and a further video appeared to show first responders in the aisle after landing.
Ryanair has not said what caused the window to dislodge. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it had been told the aircraft returned because of “a right engine issue and cabin decompression.” Ryanair did not immediately answer an emailed request for comment about the engine issue.
The NTSB said it was prepared to support the investigation. The agency said the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Committee of the Republic of North Macedonia would lead the inquiry under international aviation rules because the incident happened in North Macedonian airspace.
The North Macedonian agency did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. North Macedonia borders Greece to the north.
Flightradar24 said the aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 delivered new to Ryanair in 2008. The model can carry as many as 189 passengers.
According to Flightradar24 flight data, the plane climbed above 15,000 feet about six minutes after departure, then descended to about 6,000 feet. The tracking site said the aircraft stayed airborne for about 30 minutes to burn fuel before returning to Thessaloniki roughly an hour after takeoff.
Shye Gilad, a former airline pilot who teaches at Georgetown University’s business school, said a rapid decompression can cause a short but forceful suction effect near an opening in the cabin until pressure equalizes. He said the case showed why passengers should keep seatbelts fastened while seated, adding that such events are rare because breaching an aircraft cabin is difficult.
Ryanair said it arranged a replacement aircraft to take passengers onward to Germany.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.